Gabby C

Too Much Homework?

A very debatable topic among students and teachers is, are students given too much homework? This topic always starts a heated discussion. I believe students should be able to pick the amount of homework they need to do so they can understand it. They will have more time to become focused at school, spend time on what they need, and get more in class time.
With the amount of homework I have, I don’t have time for anything else even while staying focused. In a study of high school students, it was found that only 8% of those students got enough sleep on school nights. (Duval 1) How can students be told to time manage when this many don’t have enough time for sleep? It’s important that students have time for what they want to do and still be able to get enough sleep. “Researchers in China have linked homework of two or more hours per night with sleep disruption.” (LeTendre 3) This will cause students to be less focused at school.
Additionally, there should be work for individual students instead of work they don’t need extra help with. This leaves less time to focus on one project at a time and trying to complete three assignments at once. Teachers at Mango Elementary School in Fontana, California are giving homework that is specific to what each individual needs. This way they can focus on subjects that are more challenging for them. “Homework came roaring back after ‘A Nation at Risk’ in the 1980s as Americans again feared their children were falling behind.” (Gonchar 2) This is why teachers continue to give so much homework, so students don’t fall behind, but there is no proof that it improves scores if students don’t know how to complete it.
Moreover, students are given work too much work that must be completed at home. More work should be done at school because students would not spend so much time on homework if they did enough at school. Students take a colossal amount of time trying to complete it. In a survey of 1,000 teachers by the University of Phoenix College of Education, high school students are assigned up to 17.5 hours of homework a week. (Bidwell 1) That many hours is a sign that too much work is done at home.
Let your teacher know if you are spending this much time on homework; they need to know. It’s unbelievable the amount of homework that teenagers have. If they want to be able to maintain their grades at all, they would not be able to have any out of school life. With so many due dates for different assignments, it is hard for students to keep up. Less homework will result in more class time, activities, and the ability to focus on harder subjects for students.